Thesis (DPhil (SW Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Amy Wetherby, Florida State University, College of Communication, Dept. of Communication Disorders. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 21, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 88 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Designing tangible objects for children’s development andlearning has been a common theme in the HCI community.However, studies involving designing of tangibles fortoddlers’ hedonic interaction and play experiences havebeen few. This paper explores how toddlers (between oneand three years old) behave when interacting with tangibleplay objects in the context of open-ended play. The aim ofthis study was to explore how the integration ofmultisensory stimuli and multimodal feedback in tangibleobjects can affect toddlers’ play, behaviors and engagementin the context of open-ended play. Furthermore, two playobjects called Sound Cubes were developed and used in aninteraction study conducted at a preschool in Stockholm.The results presented in this paper suggest that the openendedplay objects provided toddlers with opportunity formultiple manipulations that lead to interesting interactions.Moreover, multimodal feedback and multisensory stimulicreated a positive affect on toddlers’ engagement in play.

Syftet med undersökningen är att undersöka förskolepedagogers syn på arbete med växter samt hur de arbetar med det på en småbarnsavdelning. Undersökningen kommer även att ta upp varför förskolepedagogerna väljer att arbeta med det de gör, hur förskolepedagogerna planerar aktiviteter kring ämnet växter och vilka läroplansmål de anser att arbetet med växter möter. Metodval för undersökningen har varit kvalitativa intervjuer som har genomförts på fyra förskolor i en mindre kommun i Mellansverige. Resultaten från undersökningen tyder på att förskolepedagogerna är positiva till att arbeta med växter med de yngsta förskolebarnen, men de anser att det krävs ett stort arbete för att förenkla läroplanens mål kring naturkunskap så att det passar de barn de har i barngruppen för tillfället. Pedagogerna arbetar mestadels med växter när de är ute på promenader, de svarar på barnens frågor och funderingar men uppmärksammar även typiska blommor för säsongen. / The purpose of this study is to examine the preschool teachers views on work with plants and how they work with it in a toddler department. The study will also address why the educators choose to work with plants in the way they do, how the educators plan activity on the subject of plants and what curriculum goals they consider to be working with in the work with plants. The methodology for this study has been qualitative interviews that have been conducated at four pre-schools in a smaller municipality in Sweden. The results from this study indicate that the educators are positive to work with plants with the youngest pre-school children, but they consider that at lot of work is needed to simplify the curriculum’s goals of science to suit the children they currently have in the children’s group. The educators work mostly with plants when they are out on walks, they answer the children’s questions and thoughts but also pay attention to typical flowers for the season.

M.Ed. / This study has been devoted to an investigation into a phenomenon called "separation anxiety", which manifests in some children who enter into nursery school at a very young age. The principal aim of the said investigation has been to identify possible causes for this anxiety in a bid to formulate guidelines for the parents of children suffering from this form of anxiety. An unfortunate trend in the modern-day workplace is the expectation that mothers resume their duties all too soon after the birth of their babies. In order to provide in the subsequent clamant need for child care, nursery schools and day-care centres have been obliged progressively to provide such care for ever-younger children; in fact, from as young as three months. In doing so, both parents and teachers/facilitators are confronted with the oft-times Herculean task of having to deal with a toddler who experiences anxiety upon being separated from his/her mother/father. Parents (and teachers/facilitators alike) are often left feeling utterly helpless and frustrated at being unable to allay the child's fears and anxiety. An important first step, however, is to make parents and teachers/facilitators understand that the nursery school represents, in a very real sense, the baby or toddler's first separation from the safety and security of his/her family and home environment. In view of the above postulation of the research problem, this study has commenced with the establishment of a theoretical framework within which to explore the emotional, physical and intellectual development of the young child. The said theoretical framework has subsequently been further enhanced by a study of relevant anxieties that the young child may experience.. For this purpose, an in-depth discussion has been undertaken on relevant literature on separation anxiety. The results of the research have been as follows: Parents need more detailed information on the emotional, physical and intellectual development of their children. Mothers need to be supported in their dual role of working and of being the primary educator at home. Fathers are largely absent from the education of their children. A traumatic experience, such as hospitalisation, could serve as a contributing factor to the anxiety a young child exhibits when separated from its mother. The choice of nursery school and the resident teachers/facilitators could play a deciding part in the way in which toddlers perceive their separation from their parents.

There is a limited understanding of the practices provided by interventionists under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C, and there is no knowledge of how providers deliver services for children who have challenging behaviors. In particular, few studies have examined the extent to which Part C interventionists use evidence-based practices. Decreasing occurrences of challenging behaviors in early childhood is particularly important, as there are many negative ramifications associated with untreated challenging behaviors, including troubled peer and adult relationships, academic failure, and increased antisocial behaviors in adulthood. Research has shown that Positive Behavior Supports and the Pyramid Model are empirically supported frameworks for treatment of challenging behaviors among young children. Thus, interventionists should be utilizing PBS when serving young children with challenging behaviors. The purpose of this study was to gain a preliminary understanding of Part C interventionists’ knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practices for young children with challenging behaviors and to identify interventionists’ process of intervention identification and implementation. Also examined were the challenges associated with service-delivery and the role of Part C in alleviating such challenges. This understanding was gained through semi-structured interviews with a sample of 10 interventionists who served young children with challenging behaviors. A thematic analysis resulted in 15 themes and two subthemes. In addition, interventionists were evaluated using a 4-point rating scale, which provided additional insight regarding the level of evidence-based practice utilized by interventionists. Themes and ratings revealed interventionists have a limited understanding of best practice associated with identifying appropriate evidence-based interventions for young children with challenging behavior. Moreover, a number of barriers hindered consistent implementation of behavioral interventions. Results indicated a need for a wider scale study of Part C interventionists’ practices. In addition, results demonstrated a critical need for ongoing professional development for Florida Part C interventionists.

The primary aim of the study was to verify vocabulary on the Language Development Survey, for typically developing toddlers who attend ethnolinguistically diverse nursery schools. This was investigated through parent report. The need for exploration of the vocabulary of this population stems from the diverse linguistic context to which toddlers are exposed on a day-to-day basis in South Africa. Many parents prefer English as the language of learning for their child, irrespective of whether or not their first language is an alternative vernacular. Thus, toddlers interact with ethnolinguistically diverse peers from a young age, usually within their nursery school. An adapted version of the Language Development Survey was presented to forty middle-class parents within the Emalahleni area. Vocabulary commonly used by toddlers was determined and a comparison of parent responses between the present study and the original American-based survey were drawn. As expected, results revealed that nouns were used most often by toddlers, in keeping with research on vocabulary acquisition. Comparisons drawn between parent responses from the two studies showed highly similar results. Parents reported that nouns, verbs, adjectives and other vocabulary were used similarly by toddlers, despite differences in their linguistic exposure. These findings verify the Language Development Survey as a valuable clinical resource for speech and language therapists managing toddlers within the South African context. Suggestions for future research are provided. AFRIKAANS : Die primêre doel van die studie was om die woordeskat wat in die Language Development Survey gebruik word te bevestig vir tipies ontwikkelende twee-jaar oue kleuters wat etnolinguisties diverse kleuterskole bywoon. Dit is ondersoek deur middel van ouer terugvoer. Die behoefte vir ‘n woordeskat ondersoek van hierdie populasie spruit uit die diverse linguistiese konteks waaraan kleuters op ‘n dag-tot-dag basis in Suid-Afrika blootgestel word. Baie ouers verkies Engels as die taal van onderig vir hul kind, ongeag of hulle moedertaal daarvan verskil of nie. Dit het die gevolg dat kleuters van jongs af met etno-linguisties diverse ouderdomsgenote interaksie het, gewoonlik in die kleuterskool. ‘n Aangepaste weergawe van die Language Development Survey is aan veertig middel-klas ouers in die Emalahleni area voorgelê. Daar is vasgestel watter woordeskat oor die algemeen deur die kleuters gebruik word, en ‘n vergelyking tussen die ouers se terugvoer in die huidige en die oorspronklike Amerikaanse studie is getref. Soos verwag, het die resultate gewys dat selfstandige naamwoorde die mees algemeen deur kleuters gebruik word, wat ooreenstem met navorsing in verband met die aanleer van woordeskat. Vergelykings tussen ouer terugvoer van die twee studies het hoogs ooreenstemmende resultate gelewer. Uit ouer terugvoer kon dit ook afgelei word dat selfstandige naamwoorde, werkwoorde, byvoeglike naamwoorde en ander woordtipes ooreenstemmend deur kleuters gebruik word, afgesien van verskille in linguistiese blootstelling. Hierdie bevindinge bevestig die Language Development Survey as ‘n waardevolle kliniese hulpbron vir spraak- taalterapeute wat in die Suid- Afrikaanse konteks met kleuters werk. Voorstelle vir moontlike toekomstige navorsing word in die studie verskaf. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication / unrestricted

This study examines if the indoor sandbox is a possible arena for early explorations and discoveries regarding physics amongst preschool toddlers. This thesis draws upon a phenomenological perspective, where Merleau-Ponty’s theories of the lifeworld and the phenomenology of perception are central to the study. A critical moments methodology is used in this study when observing preschool children playing in an indoor sandbox. Themes such as which toys are used and if there are physics phenomena present in the sandbox are investigated. Semi-structural interviews, done with the pedagogues from the wards where the observations where done, are used as a complement to the observations. The interviews focus on the pedagogues’ experiences of the potential of the sandbox as a place of learning and exploring in relation to physics. The study shows that there is a relation between the toys, the quality of the sand and physical aspects of the sandbox. One of the main results is that elements as toys and the quality of the sand have a positive effect upon the presence of physics phenomena in the sandbox.

Behavior analysts have long recognized the need for direct and reliable measurement of complex behaviors that are important to society. Recently investigators have approached one of the singular most complex behaviors: happiness. Limited research, however, has explored happiness in parent-training programs with children with autism and their families. The current study applied the definitions and data systems used in Broome's 2007 study to obtain indices of happiness within a parent training program for parents of toddlers with autism. Direct measures of smiles and laughs were collected from videotaped assessments. Results suggest that the program increased behaviors associated with happiness. Results are discussed in terms of program development and future research.

Numerous studies point to a link between fine motor skills and executive functioning (EF) in 3- to 6-year-olds (e.g., Oberer et al., 2017; MacDonald et al., 2016); however, it is unclear if this relation exists at younger ages. Therefore, the current project aimed to further explore EF and fine motor skills in typically developing 2-year-olds. Participants completed the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS), Spin the Pots, Shape Stroop, Snack Delay, and the Fine Motor portion (FMQ) of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale Version-2. These findings demonstrate a link between general EF and visual-motor integration in 2-year-olds.